Bomb scare at UNH turns out to be a hoax

DURHAM — A bomb threat received by University of New Hampshire officials via an anonymous e-mail this morning turned out to be a hoax.

The threat was almost identical to one the university received soon after a mass shooting at Virginia Tech University in April.

This morning's threat said there was a bomb at the Grant House admissions office on Garrison Avenue and also one contained within a blue backpack placed at an undisclosed location on campus, said University Spokesperson Kim Billings. The Grant House and the rest of campus were swept by police aided by a bomb-sniffing K-9, but nothing was found.

The campus was declared all clear at a little after noon.

A campus alert was issued to all faculty, staff, and students earlier in the day, Billings said. No blue backpack was found, but people continued to report suspicious, unattended bags.

It is unclear if police are considering today's bomb threat and the one received on April 27 as related, but the circumstances are similar.

That bomb threat, also received by the admissions office via anonymous e-mail, indicated four pipe bombs had been scattered around campus, but nothing was found following an extensive sweep that lasted most of the day. The e-mail was later traced to a computer in Christensen Hall, a freshman high-rise dormitory.

Less than two weeks before, Virginia Tech University student Seung Hui Cho had shot and killed 32 people before killing himself, in what was the deadliest shooting by one individual in United States history. The memory of that event was still fresh on the UNH campus when the April bomb threat was received.

Two persons of interest, both students, were questioned following the threat but never charged. No arrests were ever made in the case.

Billings said UNH Police and State Police are in the process of tracing today's email. UNH Deputy Police Chief Paul Dean did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Students will be returning to campus this weekend and starting classes next Tuesday.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.